The Edge of Lightning
by Kallypso
Summary: Ed and Al investigate a dangerous disease for alchemic foul play and three new players get pulled into Amestris' game. Chloe, a blind alchemist trying to help her brother, Liz the newly dubbed Lightning Alchemist of the state, and Cara a homunculus of unknown origins. How will they effect the story, and each other, on the search for the philosopher's stone? Brotherhood canon! R&R!
1. Chapter 1: The Blind Alchemist

_**A/N: Hello and welcome to the first chapter of Edge of Lightning. If you're one of my old readers, you know I've been building this up for awhile. I am FINALLY doing a Brotherhood fanfiction. Stay tuned at the end of the chapter for a Q&A using questions you guys sent me and some I made up myself.**_

_**If you are a new reader, welcome! I've written this story to be friendly to newcomers though I'd love it if you read some of my other Fullmetal Alchemist fanfictions. OCs from past fanfictions will be featured in this story as well, though in slightly different forms. **_

_**Also as a new segment, for each chapter I will list the 'song of the week' which is the song that particularly fits the chapter or fic. At some point I will make a playlist with all of these songs. It'll be kind of like a soundtrack for the fic.**_

_**This Weeks Song: 'Again' by Yui. (As the first opening of FMA Brotherhood, I thought it would be fitting)**_

_**Without further ado, enjoy the first chapter!**_

**Edge of Lightning**

**Chapter 1: The Blind Alchemist**

On the surface, the job was simple. But then, things always seemed simple from the start when it came to Roy Mustang.

Edward Elric had learned not long after receiving his state title that a train ride could turn into a terrorist attack, a simple inspection could turn into a catastrophe and a tentative lead on the philosopher's stone could lead to a psychotic cultist or an angry mob.

"If we just expect the worse, maybe everything will be straight forward." Ed muttered, drumming his fingers on his suitcase.

"Brother." Al sighed. The suit of armor clinked at even the small movement.

"I'm serious, Al. Maybe the reason we keep on getting screwed is that we're being too optimistic." He pointed at his brother. "It's probably you jinxing us. You always have so many good feelings when we go on a job."

"So your solution is to make me a cynic?" Al asked.

"Yes," Ed said.

Al shook his head, looking down at the papers briefing them on their mission. "I might not be so optimistic on this trip. This already looks pretty bad brother. All of these people dying from some sort of sickness… kind of reminds you of the case with the Trinam brothers."

"Yeah," Ed said. "Sort of does. It could mean that there is a philosipher's stone involved. Or it could just be another false lead. Mustang didn't say anything about the stone this time around, right?" He leaned forward. "I didn't just miss it in the paper?"

"You didn't miss it. All it says is we are supposed to investigate the deaths and make sure there's no foul play involved, particularly from alchemists." Al said. "It's a farming community, of course. It could be something in the food. Or maybe the water supply."

"If that's the case, the sickness should have spread outside of the town." Ed said. "Mustang is probably right—"

"What was that brother?"

"Shut up." Ed jerked a hand through his hair. "I'm just saying that this reeks of alchemic mischief."

"Yeah." Al looked down at the paper again. "I hope we can help these people though."

Ed rested his head against the window, watching the countryside role by. "Yeah… me too, Al."

* * *

Chloe Brooks could feel everyone in the hospital as she passed. Her alchemy picked up every vibration as the dying writhed in agony on the ground. Bad enough that she could hear their moans from outside. Feeling them brought a whole new level to her discomfort.

She had wanted to take the long way around, but her brother had insisted he needed the ingredients as soon as possible. Whenever he got in one of the moods, he could be a bit unpredictable. Totally absorbed in his alchemy and angry at anyone who interrupted him.

Still, passing by the hospital now, Chloe found him justified. Nothing was more important than a cure for this illness. Especially not her own discomfort.

Stoneridge was a small town surrounded by farms in the east of Amestris. Many of the people who lived there were farmers but there the town had grown immensely since Chloe had been born. She had lived here all of her life and watched the population grow and thrive.

Well… she didn't exactly 'watch'. Chloe had never had that luxury, with unseeing eyes that hadn't worked since the day she was born. It didn't matter much to her. She was used to it. Her brother suffered the same ailment and he had helped her. But she had to help him too. She was much better with her sense alchemy than he was. That meant she could walk around town more easily to find things he needed for his alchemy.

The town needed him to find some sort of cure. He was the only alchemist nearby.

He was their only hope.

She arrived home, slipping inside and moving quietly toward the basement where her brother was working. She knocked on the trap door and pressed her ear to the wood, listening for an answer.

"Leave the stuff there, Chloe!" Ryan called up to her. "I'll get it in a moment. I'm in the middle of a breakthrough."

"Alright. Tell me if you need anything else!" she called down in return. Then she stood and moved into the kitchen to make some tea. Should she make some for her brother too or just herself? If he was in the middle of a breakthrough he wouldn't have time to stop for tea.

Perhaps she could make him some just in case.

She lit the stove and prepared the tea kettle. Then she moved back into the small living room to sit down on the couch. Her hand passed over the table, tracing over wood and a stack of books. It was sort of funny that they kept books around the house. A mockery of their eyes that could not see. Their mother used to love books, or so Ryan said. But their mother had died giving Chloe life.

They kept alchemy books around the house. Many of their neighbors were willing to read the books out loud to them and Chloe transcribed the most important parts in raised letters that she could feel out. That was how she was able to study alchemy. And how she was able to make up for her sight in other ways.

Chloe's brow furrowed as she sensed vibrations on the front porch. She placed her feet flat on the ground. Yes, there were two figures standing right outside the door. One much larger than the other and… made of metal? She stood, trying to make sure she was right. Metal always gave off stronger vibrations and this figure seemed entirely made of it. If she didn't know any better, she'd think he was hollow.

There was a knock on the door and she jumped, almost forgetting that the people on the porch probably wanted to be let in. Her brother was too busy now, so she'd have to entertain them. Hopefully they didn't want to see him.

She hurried to the door and opened it up. "May I help you?" she asked, trying to level her head so that it would look like she was making eye contact. It was still a work in progress, pretending not to be blind.

"We hope so," the voice of a boy answered her. "I'm Edward Elric. This is Alphonse." He seemed to shift his weight toward the large metal man. So he was alive. How strange.

"Chloe Brooks," Chloe replied. "Its nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you," the metal man responded. Chloe frowned. The metal man was huge, much bigger than the other boy, but the voice sounded younger. "I hope you don't mind but… can we come in? We have a few questions."

* * *

Upon questioning the townspeople, Ed and Al discovered that there was only one alchemist in Stoneridge. Ryan Brooks. But though they questioned people to see if he was a shady type, they had nothing but praise for their local alchemist.

'_He works day and night to find a cure for the disease.'_

'_I hear he barely ever sleeps.'_

'_He's skilled enough to leave us but he stayed. We owe him a lot.'_

"Doesn't sound like the kind of guy who would hurt people with alchemy. Or create a philosopher's stone." Al said.

"No, he doesn't. But we should question him anyway." Ed looked up at Al. "Besides, we can see how much he knows about the disease. Maybe he's close to finding a cure and we can help." He forced a smile but he had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Yeah, maybe," Al said, seeming to brighten considerably. Damn. An Ed had been trying to keep his optimism down.

They found the house and knocked at the door. But instead of the man they were searching for, a girl answered the door. She looked a few years younger than Ed with long blonde hair and blue eyes that seemed oddly… vacant.

They exchanged names and she invited them in. "I have tea on the stove now. It should be ready soon." She smiled. "I guess it's a good thing I decided to make extra."

"Yeah thanks," Ed looked around the house, searching for any suspicious materials. But all he saw were harmless alchemy books. "Look, we really need to talk to your brother. It's important."

"Sorry to disappoint you, but he's very busy at the moment." Chloe took the kettle from the stove and began to pour tea. "He's in the middle of a break through. I'm not sure how long he'll be down there." She brought the tea into the livingroom and handed it out. "You can talk to me though."

"We kind of need to talk to an alchemist." Al said.

The girl smiled and raised her leg to show them the bottom of her shoe. She had a transmutation circle carved into the sole. "I am an alchemist."

Ed's eyes widened. "Oh. Well… we were told there was only one alchemist in the entire village."

"Not as many people know I practice alchemy." She lowered her foot. "My form of alchemy is a bit more subtle and less impressive than my brother's. I haven't been able to study as much as I'd like, taking into account my limitations. I mostly use alchemy to help me function as normal."

"Limitations?" Al questioned. Then he gave a little gasp. "Wait… are you blind?"

Chloe nodded, waving a hand in front of her eyes. "Always have been. I was born this way. So I can't really read. I need someone to read materials aloud to me. It makes studying a little slower, you know?"

"Still it's amazing that you're able to use alchemy this way." Al said. "I've actually never read about it being used like this. And we read a lot for the state alchemy exam. Do you remember anything like this, brother?"

"No." Ed said. "I wish we had time to talk about your alchemy. But we were sent here by the state for a reason." He leaned forward. "We're supposed to make sure that there's no foul play going on here."

Chloe's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"We mean, maybe this disease is more than just a disease." Ed explained. "It could be some kind of product of alchemy. And if so, we have to address it."

"What do you think, Chloe?" Al asked. "You're an alchemist and your brother is working on a cure. Do you think it could be a product of alchemy?"

"Well…" Chloe set her empty tea cup down with a clink. Even though she was blind, she had no trouble placing it directly on the table. "The disease doesn't seem to spread naturally. Its not airborne. Whenever one person in a family comes down with it, everyone else does too, almost at the same time. Which isn't natural. Usually there's a space of a few days before a disease passes itself on. And other families have avoided sickness altogether." Chloe frowned. "It does seem like the sickness is engineered."

"By an alchemist." Ed nodded.

Chloe's eyes narrowed. "I hope you don't suspect my brother. He's been working to try to combat the disease. He would never do something like that."

"I haven't met your brother. Until I can talk to him and see his research, he is a suspect." Ed said flatly.

Chloe's shoulders hitched as she seemed to bristle with anger and Al hurried on, hoping to calm her. "It's just that we've seen this kind of thing before, Chloe. We once went to a small community where people were getting sick. And we found out that a rich man was using alchemists to engineer a red stone, a cheap copy of a philosopher's stone. Have you heard of it?"

"I've heard legends about the philosopher's stone. Nothing more than that," Chloe said.

"Well even a fake is powerful…" Ed said. "But a byproduct of the experiments made the town sick. We think that was the rich man's intention."

"Rich man?" Chloe's fists clenched in her lap. "Conrad."

"Who's Conrad?" the brothers asked in unison.

"The richest man in town. He lives on a mansion not far outside the city limits." Chloe spoke bitterly. "He owns half the farm land but he doesn't work it himself. He hires people to do so, usually for a really terrible salary. But…" She pursed her lips. "None of his workers have gotten sick. None of their families either. Everyone who works for him seems to be avoiding the disease."

"That's a clue we need." Ed stood, grinning. "Thank you. You may have helped us. Its possible this rich man is hiring alchemists from out of town to do his dirty work." He looked up at Al. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," Al nodded, setting down his empty tea cup. "Thank you for the tea and the help, Chloe."

"Of course," Chloe stood. "What do you plan to do?"

"Question the guy politely of course." Ed said.

"Yes, because your specialty is being polite," Al sighed.

"Ah, shut up." Ed nudged him with his elbow. "We'll be back, Chloe. We still want to talk to your brother. But I think we have a new suspect."

"Maybe we can help your brother with a cure." Al said as they backed out of the door. "We'd be happy to offer some assistance."

"Thank you." Chloe smiled. "I'd appreciate that."

They closed the door and hopped down onto the street. Al seemed to have a bit more of a spring in his step. "See? I didn't think that the local alchemist was behind it."

"Yeah," Ed muttered, looking up at the darkening sky. "Why don't we go back to the hotel and question this guy tomorrow. If we come too late he'll be more on his guard."

"Right." Al said. They walked back to the hotel in silence for a little while before he spoke again. "Brother, what's on your mind?"

"Nothing… I just don't trust Ryan Brooks yet," he said.

"He sister spoke very highly of him." Al said.

"I know, but you know how younger siblings are." Ed kicked a rock. "They always see the best in their older siblings… even when they shouldn't."

"Brother," Al murmured, but he didn't protest. It was true after all. Al had gone along with Edward's plans a long time ago. He had lost his body in the process and yet all he talked about was fixing _Ed's _body. Not his.

In a lot of ways, Al should probably hate him. But he didn't. And for that reason Edward couldn't take the word of Chloe Brooks just yet.

* * *

The girl, hooded and cloaked, entered the hotel just before midnight. Only a few patrons lingered in the downstairs bar. One was snoring quite loudly and the other was on his seventh drink and looked close to passing out. The innkeeper, a portly man with a scraggly beard, slouched over the counter, looking a bit annoyed when the girl approached the counter.

"We're not renting out anymore rooms. It's too late," the innkeeper muttered.

"Surely you can make an exception," the girl replied sweetly. She sounded young to the ears of the man. He couldn't help but wonder where her parents were.

"No exceptions. Look, it's late. If you want a room you should come at a decent time of night."

"The train was delayed. Couldn't avoid it." The girl shrugged. "I really hate trains. They have lousy service."

"Don't care about your problems with trains. I'm not renting you a room."

"I'd reconsider if I were you." A glint of silver caught the innkeeper's eye and he started as the girl slapped something on the table. It was a pocket watch. A _state _pocket watch. His eyes widened. "Y-you're an alchemist?"

"Yep." With a flash of white teeth, the girl drew back her hood, shaking out her short, dark brown hair. "Elizabeth Parker. Lightning Alchemist." She leaned forward, dark eyes glinting mischievously. "Now how about that room?"

* * *

_**A/N: Next chapter we'll get more Liz action, don't worry! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Now let's do our Q&A!**_

**Question 1: Let's talk OCs. Which OCs from past fanfics are making an appearance in this story?**

_Well, my main three OCs will all be making an appearance. Liz, Cara and Chloe will all play a major role in the story and that means, yes, there will be lots of fun interaction between the three of them. I'm looking forward to some Liz and Cara conversations. I am not sure yet if some minor OCs, such as Lucy, will be making appearances. It will depend if there is room in the story for them. The OCs WILL have different back stories, however. The most similar is Liz, but even she has some alterations. Cara and Chloe are completely different in their origins this time around. So that should be fun :)_

**Question 2: (From Nixie the Bloody Pixie) Will there be any new OCs?**

_Yes there certainly will be. There will be one MAJOR OC addition to the cast and other minor OCs in the far future (though they won't become relevant for awhile.) I can't tell you anything about this OC yet, but I can tell you her name is Ashai._

**Question 3: Will this follow FMA Brotherhood pretty exactly or will there be changes?**

_While this will be reasonably loyal to Brotherhood, I will be making some minor plot changes like the order of events and the fate of certain characters. And the ending might change a bit. But I will be mostly faithful._

**Question 4: What's happening with Envy's character?**

_You might remember the poll I put up earlier this year regarding Envy's character. I wanted to know how everyone felt about his original anime self vs. his brotherhood self. At the end of the vote, most people said they like his anime self better. I agree with this of course. Brotherhood Envy is a little... wimpy and comic reliefy? Yeah, that's a good word for it. As such Envy will be more similar to his Anime self and thus similar to who he was in my past fanfictions. Most of you seem to like him in those so we shouldn't have a problem._

**Question 5: And is the Kristen back story still a thing?**

_For those of you who don't know, Kristen is a girl from Envy's past who he had a thing for but she was killed. One of the reasons he and Liz become a thing is because she kind of looks and acts like her. But the answer is NO that is not a thing in this story. Liz and Envy have a WHOLE nother foundation for their relationship, and it'll be really fun :) Promise._

**Question 6: (From Nixie the Bloody Pixie) Will there be Liz/Envy pairings in the Brotherhood Project?**

_Considering that it was the favorite pairing in the poll I took, the answer to that is whole heartidly yes. I love them too guys. There will be lots of Liz/Envy in this story._

**Question 7: What about other pairings?**

_Other pairings I can tell you thus far: Cara/Ed and sort of Al/Chloe. I support Ed/Winry a lot but since I can't pair Cara with Envy (he is taken) Ed was the next choice. It might be a bit of a love triangle between Winry, Ed and Cara but we'll see. You know how I feel about love triangles (gag me). The new OC, Ashai, will also have a pairing... but that's a secret ;)_

**Question 8: (From kitsunelover300) Since Truth had a big role in the original trilogy, will there be hints of its existence with Truth in Brotherhood? Maybe he'll mention it as a thought?**

_Thumbs up to you for a question I hadn't thought of. I hadn't thought much about working Truth in but I did love his dynamic with Liz when he was a voice in her head. It might come back but as of now I'm not entirely sure._

**Question 9: How many characters are you going to kill you sick psychopath?**

_Me? Kill characters? In what universe is this? :)_

**Question 10: And how many cliffhangers should we expect?**

_Well! That's all the time we have for today! Thanks for joining me and see you next Friday for chapter 2 of EDGE OF LIGHTING!_

**You suck.**

_Bite me. Have a lovely week!_


	2. Chapter 2: The Rich Man

_**A/N: Sorry for putting this out a day late. For some reason I had difficulty writing this chapter. But I hope you enjoy!**_

_**This weeks song: Mirror, Mirror the theme for Weiss in RWBY by Rooster Teeth. (This is my pick for Chloe's theme, at least how she starts out. And since this chapter has a lot of Chloe I thought it would make a good song. Look it up and have a listen!)**_

**Chapter 2: The Rich Man**

Amazing what one could get with a state certification and a little bit of friendly threatening. Since she recently became a state alchemist, Liz had flashed her watch more than once to curry a few favors. Why shouldn't she? After being doubted all her life for her stature and age, it felt good to have proof of her talents.

She _used _to have to give violent demonstrations of her alchemy instead and that always led to property damage and angry mobs. Showing a watch was much simpler and less chaotic.

The watch got her information too. After she picked up her keys to her room with a friendly 'thanks a lot' to the sputtering innkeeper, she wandered over to a table where a rather inebriated was seated, probably having his sixth glass of liquor. She sat in front of him.

"Not asleep yet, are you mister?"

"Beat it kid," he muttered. "Leave me alone with my whiskey."

"Your whiskey isn't nearly as pleasant company as I am." Liz smirked, dangling her watch in front of the man's face. "Its military business, actually. I know your head is a little fuzzy, but I just want to ask a few questions."

"You came about the disease, didn't you?" the man traced the wood on the table. Liz's eyes widened.

"How'd you know that?"

"'Nother state alchemist was asking questions earlier today. To see if there was any foul play. You know. The alchemy type." The man tipped back his glass, emptying the remaining contents before slapping it back onto the table. "We only got one alchemist around here. A nice young man. He's been working to help us. I don't think he has a part in this. If you ask me… its that Conrad."

"Conrad?" Liz asked, leaning forward, her nearly black eyes bright. "Who's Conrad?"

"Rich man in this town. Always gets his way, you know? Don't know if there's alchemy involved but if there's something shady happening, he's the cause of it."

"That's very interesting." Liz smiled brightly. "And where might I find this Conrad?"

"His house is just outside city limits. Big white house on a hill. Can't possibly miss it." The man lay down on the table. "Now leave me alone."

"No problem, I've heard all I need," she rose and started toward the stairs, planning to go up to her room before the innkeeper tried to kick her out. But she stopped mid stride and spun around. "One more thing. The state alchemist. Who was he?"

"Short boy. Blonde hair and a red coat. Called himself the Metal… I dunno, metal was involved." The man waved his hand dismissively.

"Oh really?" Liz raised an eyebrow, a smirk drawing over her face. "Thank you very much, good sir."

"Go away."

"I enjoyed your company too."

With that, Liz turned and hurried toward her room, suitcase in hand. She hadn't stopped smirking.

"_So the famous Fullmetal Alchemist is investigating this too," _she thought flopping down on her bed. This was probably Roy Mustang's doing. He decided to put them both on the same case without telling them. Did he want a competition? To see who would solve the case first? Maybe he wanted to see which of the young state alchemists was the better one.

"If that's the case, Colonel," Liz said softly, a sparkle of mischief in her eye. "Challenge accepted. I'll beat the Fullmetal Alchemist no problem. He'd just better not get in my way."

After all, she'd come this far to get her state certification. She wasn't about to be upstaged by some hot shot child prodigy who got his certification when he was twelve.

Okay, maybe she'd have a lot to live up to. But Liz always liked a challenge. She flicked a piece of dark brown hair from her eyes, grinning up at the ceiling.

"Just let him try to match me."

* * *

Edward went to Conrad's house alone for a few reasons. For one thing, he wanted to take care of this in his own way, without Al interfering. He loved his brother, but sometimes he could be a bit gullible and too nice. For another thing, he wanted someone to keep an eye on Chloe. If something suspicious came to light about her brother, Al could tell him. Besides, Al was better at earning people's trust than he was.

He approached the great white house on the hill, his hands stuffed in his pockets as if he was bored. As if he wasn't taking in every move of the place. There were people all around the outside of the house. Gardeners, it looked like. And some guards. It was the guards that peaked his suspicious. Why keep such security if you didn't have something to hide?

He marched up to the gates, slipping in as if he belonged there. Unfortunately that didn't get him far before the guards stopped him.

"What's your business here, kid?" one asked.

"There's no tresprassing on this land. Its private property," the other said.

"Sorry, I just need to see Mr. Conrad. I heard he lives here." Ed casually pulled his watch from his pocket. The guards drew back in surprise.

"A state alchemist?"

"What is your business here?"

They seemed nervous. Good. That meant that Conrad was even more likely to be the culprit.

"I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric." Ed said with a bored tone. He shined his watch snobbishly on his jacket. "I'm passing through. And I heard that anyone who is anyone should talk with Mr. Conrad. He's quite the business tycoon, isn't he?" Ed asked, placing his hand on his hips. "I just wanted to talk to him. See if there's anything the military can do to help his town. I'm sure he's as concerned about this disease as anyone else. And if we're to help we have to stop at the top man, right? Help the wealthy man and it will trickle down to the rest."

"Right," the guards exchanged glances. Ed fought a grin and tried to keep a look of detached snobbishness.

"Now are you going to let me pass, or am I supposed to stand here talking to you all day. I'm busy. I have things to do." Ed waved his hand impatiently.

"Uh, right sir. Come this way." The guards moved with him toward the house. "We can't promise Conrad will see you. He's a busy man."

"I'm sure he'll make time," Ed said mildly. After all, with a state alchemist at his door, he'd want to know how much the military knew. He would definetily get his audience.

Halfway to the door, something caught Ed's eye. A flash of metal from across the lawn. He turned just in time to see someone's coat snap around a corner and disappear from sight. Was that a person? Whoever it was they had been moving fast.

"Mr. Elric?" one of the guards asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing," Ed said, slowly turning back toward the door. "Lead the way."

* * *

Alphonse didn't necessarily like his brother's assignment to him. He didn't like spying on someone or trying to learn their secrets. But he supposed, since he was sure Chloe and her brother were innocent, it wasn't so bad to spend a bit of time with Chloe Brooks.

He came under the guise of wanting to find out more about her alchemy. Which wasn't even a lie. He was very curious about her alchemy and how it worked. In all the reading he had done he had never heard of alchemy being used as a tool to make up for being blind. He'd never heard of it being used to make up for any physical or mental disadvantages. And Al was always keen to learn about new things.

"You're really curious?" Chloe asked. She seemed surprised when Al asked if she'd like to go on a walk with him to talk about alchemy. Al wondered if she ever got a chance to talk to anyone about alchemy. The only other alchemist in town was her brother and he seemed always shut up in his cellar. Even today when Al went to the house, he still was not available. Al wished he could meet Chloe's brother, but then again, he was doing important work. The sick people of the town were more important than guests.

"Of course I am." Al said. "I think you're alchemy is really amazing."

"Not very flashy though." Chloe said, tapping her foot against the wood floor. If it was anyone else, Al would think it was some kind of nervous tick or sign of impatience. But for her it seemed like she was trying to get a read on something.

"Alchemy doesn't have to be flashy to be interesting." Al said. "My brother might disagree. He likes to put on a show. But I think it's all pretty incredible."

Chloe smiled. She had a very nice smile, but it didn't always seem to reach her eyes. Her unseeing eyes had a sad look to them. Maybe that was just how all blind people's eyes looked, but Al wasn't sure. A sort of melancholy seemed etched in her face. He couldn't pin down why. "Well in that case, Mr. Elric, I would be glad to talk with you."

"It's just Al." the armor said, rubbing a hand behind his head.

They walked down the road at a liesurly pace. Chloe seemed more than willing to talk about her alchemy. In fact, it seemed like all of her knowledge was built up inside of her. Like a pipe with too much build up finally being released.

"—Its alchemy, but not entirely alchemy. You know, alchemy books are hard for me to read. But there's this country across the dessert, Xing, you know about Xing?" She barely paused to see him nod. "Well they have alkehestry. Similar in a lot of ways but much more developed in the medical area. The culture altogether is more developed medically. They actually have books written for blind people. It's a new thing. They called in braile. Its raised letters that I can feel out with my fingers." She mimed the motion. "So because of that, I studied a lot of alkehestry. A few years ago, brother got a lot of money. He did some kind of work for someone, I don't remember what. But he was able to buy us books from across the dessert. And that's where I found out about alkehestry. It puts a lot of emphasis on the flow of chi. Its kind of a… new way of sensing things. The presence of things. Some people use it to be able to enhance their senses. I use it to make up for mine." She tapped her foot again. These circles help concentrate the chi flow. I can tell where things are that way. Kind of like vibrations but not. It's hard to explain. It's like… the energy of souls." Chloe paused her breath. "I'm sorry, I've been rambling. Do you have any idea what I'm saying?"

"I'm mostly following it," Al said. "I don't mind the rambling. You seem really happy to talk about it." It was true. When she talked about her alchemy, her whole face lit up and she didn't look so sad anymore.

"I am," Chloe murmured.

Al heard a sound like moaning not far away and he looked up in alarm. It was coming from a large nearby building. "What was that?" he asked.

"We're passing by the place where we keep the sick." Chloe said. "There's always a lot of moaning going on in there."

Al felt sick. "That's… that's horrible."

"It is." Chloe agreed. "I always walk by here when I start feeling too selfish."

Al looked down at her in surprise. "Selfish?"

"My brother… well, I love him but he's always working. A lot of times I want someone to talk to. But I don't really have any other friends in town. It's just me, alone and the people we pay to read to me aloud. They don't talk much with me though." She shrugged. "But its selfish of me. These people need my brother more than I do. I just feel lonely sometimes."

"It's not selfish to want company." Al said. "I guess I wouldn't know what its like to be lonely. I'm always with my brother." He laughed softly. "To be honest, he's a handful sometimes. Always loud and getting into fights. And he never thinks things through. But I love him all the same."

"Yeah," Chloe tilted her head up, as if to look up at him. Al noted she was very good at that. Moving her head in about the direction of other people's faces. "I…had a question Al. About you and your brother. Since I've answered your alchemy questions."

Al froze a bit. "Uh… what questions?" Did she suspect him of trying to pick up information from her? Did she know?

"Its just… what have you been through?" Chloe asked. "How is it that your brother only has two limbs? And you? Why are you only made of metal?"

Al stared at her. "How… how did you know that?"

She tapped the toe of her boot against the ground. "I could feel it from the moment I met you two. Metal gives off different vibrations from living things. And yet there's still a soul in there. A soul with metal."

"That's… your alchemy is really amazing Chloe." Al said breathlessly. He shook his head. "I am hollow. I'm just a suit of armor attached to a soul. But I'm sorry, I can't tell you why." He looked up at the horizon, toward the house where his brother now was. "Its personal."

"I understand. I'm sorry I pried." Chloe said. And just like that she continued walking along, hopping from stone to stone on the street like there was nothing wrong.

Al would have smiled if he had the face to do so. For all of her melancholy, Chloe was a very kind girl. Very accepting.

If her brother was anything like her, the town was lucky to have both of them.

* * *

Conrad was a pudgy business type with round cheeks and a thin mustache. His head was shaved clean and his eyes seemed full of greed every time he spoke. Maybe because he was trying to curry favor with state alchemists to avoid any further inspection.

Ed took an instant dislike to the man the moment he laid eyes on him. And said dislike only grew as the man continued to speak.

"We are of course _very _glad to have you as a guest," Conrad said. "Always good to meet a state alchemist."

"Right," Ed said, observing the book shelves lining the room. It didn't seem like a lot of alchemy books. "Do a lot of alchemists come through here?"

"Not so many. We are far out East, as you can see." Conrad rubbed his hands together. "Not many alchemists in these parts. I don't know any alchemists myself. We have one, working to combat the disease but I suppose it's not enough."

"No." Ed shook his head pacing about the room. "I've heard you've been lucky though."

"What do you mean by that?" Conrad asked.

"Well your workers and their families… I hear none of them have caught the disease. All the people who work for you seem in good health, actually. It's the people who don't who are getting sick." He looked innocently over his shoulder. "I guess you keep your workers in good health."

"Any good business man does." Conrad slowly, but his brow was furrowed with suspicion now. Good. "I'm nothing without my workers."

"Of course, of course." Ed said. "It is kind of amazing though. You apparently don't pay your workers very much for the work they do. I mean, one would think that the people getting paid the most would best be able to avoid sickness. But apparently not."

"Who said that? It's a lie! I pay my workers just as well as anyone." Conrad slammed his fist against his desk.

"I'm just repeating things I've heard, sir. Just speculating." Ed held up his hands in a placating fashion. "I'm here on business myself, you know. State alchemist business. It seems that this disease is a little odd and we want to find out if there's a reason behind it. And since you're the man with the most influence, we thought you might know something."

"I'm no alchemist. It wouldn't be able to say." Conrad said.

"There was a man not too long ago. His name was Mugiar. He wasn't an alchemist either. But he hired them." Ed tapped a finger on his chin like he was thinking. "And then… well he eventually could use alchemy. With the help of something… a special stone."

There was a flash from behind Ed and he whirled around to find a cluster of guns, made from the floorboards, pointed right at him. Conrad now had a red stone in his hands. "Very good, Mr. Elric. You're a smart one. But I suspected your true intentions. And now…" A grin split his face. "I'm afraid you won't be leaving here alive."

* * *

_**A/N: Hope you enjoyed that cliffhanger! I promised cliffhangers, didn't I? Be sure to review if you're eager for the next chapter and I'll see you next week!**_


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